Pub turned diner up for sale

A pub that was in the process of being turned into a diner has come on the market.

The Volunteer pub in Oxfordshire had been taken over by Claire and Jonathan Hilsdon with the aim of transforming it into an American-style diner. The couple – who already own a Chariots and Cherry Pie diner near Buckland – have since had their company go into liquidation.

Mr and Mrs Hilsdon bought the pub last year for £330,000 with the view of creating a 100-cover diner, plus 11-bedroom motel and car wash.

The pub is however now on the market after they began liquidation last month.

Offers for the freehold of the pub including a four-bedroom property are now being taken, with no guide price available, the Oxford Mail reported.

Grove and Wantage county councillor Zoe Patrick said: “The pub has been closed for at least a couple of years and I think people in Grove would like to see it open again.

“There used to be a minibus taking people from the village there for darts matches – it’s an extra venue for the community.”

Renovations to the Villager pub first hit difficulties when Network Rail put in plans to close down the nearby A338 in order to restore a railway bridge.

While permission for the project was refused, the pair further found misery when they discovered that they would have to add a rear exit for cars, adding to their already extensive £1 million bill.